Something About You
by andrewtorres
Summary: What would have happened if Eli said "You have pretty eyes." to someone entirely different? [ Dreli / Cladam ]
1. Chapter 1

Moving to a new school wasn't supposed to be such a big deal. However, in the Torres family, it most certainly was. Six months prior, his last high school asked for Drew's brother, Adam, to be removed from the school due to his issues and being severely bullied. It had infuriated Audra to the point that she took both her son and step-son out of the school immediately. Now, it was the first day in a new school in their new home town of Toronto, Ontario. "Andrew Torres get up and get ready, you have less than an hour to get to Degrassi and we cannot be late!" Audra shouted, waking the oldest Torres brother up out of a deep sleep with her shrill voice.

"Alright, alright!" He groaned in response, he barely had time to stretch and put his feet on the wooden floor beneath his bed, before his step-mom shouted again.

"RIGHT NOW!" Audra called out, startling Drew to the point that he was finally awake and though he was yawning, he was already out of bed stumbling to his closet to find some clothes to put on. Finally, once Drew was dressed for his first day, he rushed downstairs to get some orange juice and peanut butter toast - his favorite breakfast. "Now, you remember you're going to be meeting with Principal Simpson before school so we're leaving in ten. Eat fast!" Audra stated, she then walked into the living room to get Adam to stop watching television.

"I'll eat in the car. Let's go," Drew commented, Audra nodded then motioned for Adam to follow behind them as they left. Drew pulled the front door open then headed down the steps. A moment or two later, he was inside the family van in the front seat.

"Hey, I wanted shotgun!" Adam exclaimed.

"Both of you get in the car and do not argue; we don't have time for non-sense." Audra explained, Adam grunted and got into the back seat behind Drew. Fifteen minutes in traffic later, they rolled up outside the school and Audra parked the car, while the boys got out to go inside. They waited for her to park and she followed them to the office to meet Principal Simpson for the first time. He was outside waiting quietly for them and greeted Audra with a smile.

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><p>"You must be the family that wanted a meeting? Come on in." Simpson commented, leading them back to his office and he shut the door as soon as they were in there. "So, you told me your youngest son is transgender? Let me just say it will not be an issue here, ma'am." Simpson stated. Audra nodded, though she wasn't really buying it but the boys remained silent.<p>

"How do I know my son will not be bothered by some of the bullies in this school? What is your policy on handling bullying?" Audra asked, Drew and Adam exchanged glances. Simpson cleared his throat.

"We have an anti-bullying policy here at our school after an event that took place several years back." Simpson began, hoping Audra would give him a chance to really explain first, though. "All we need is a documentation of what takes place and the police could be involved if needed. Usually, here at Degrassi, suspension will take place."

Audra nodded approvingly. "I'm expecting you to stick to your word or I will have your head. My husband is a powerful attorney and I have family on the school board here. Don't push your luck!" Audra stated, Simpson swallowed hard and nodded his head.

"Boys, do you have questions?" Simpson asked, both shook their head 'no'.

"Well then you can go to class! Have a good first day."

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><p>As Adam began to walk to class, a pretty ivory skinned brunette caught his eye as she was opening her locker. Her locker was exactly two down from his own and suddenly - starting at a new school didn't seem so bad. As the brunette opened her locker, her books began to fall out and hit the ground, causing her to groan in defeat. Adam rushed over to pick up the books for her and the brunette smiled. "I haven't seen you here before! Who are you?" she asked as she watched Adam pick up her books while stooping down to help.<p>

"I'm Adam Torres. New here as of today," Adam responded kindly and handed her four text books he was holding in his arms. She placed them back into the lockers and grabbed the one she needed, a notebook, and a pen.

"Nice to meet you, Adam, I'm Clare Edwards." Clare replied, her blue eyes sparkling under the bright lights in the halls. "Which grade are you in?" She questioned.

"Ten." He replied simply. "I have Ms. Dawes first, you?" Adam asked and Clare's face lit up.

"Me, too! I have her this class then I have Ms. Oh!" Clare responded and Adam smiled. Again, another class they were sharing together. "Walk me to class?" She asked, Adam nodded as the two began to walk towards the English classroom together.

While Adam seemed to be having a very eventful day, Drew's day was going poorly, and the best part about it was finding out about football try-outs. That seemed to be the highlight of his day because he had a B average from his past school; which was also on his transcript. As he left school that afternoon, he was greeted by his brother who seemed to be awfully happy about something.

"I met someone!" Adam exclaimed cheerfully as he approached Drew but all Drew could offer was cynicism. "Her name is Clare and she's hanging out with me this weekend! I invited her over." Adam added with a grin and Drew shook his head.

"Does she know?" Drew questioned as he began to walk, reading a text on his phone as he waited for an answers.

"Well...not yet but I want to tell her soon. I mean, she'll make for a good friend at the least. She's really cool!" Adam commented. "I'm gonna go find her to talk for a few, be right back." Adam added. Drew rolled his eyes and moved to sit down at a picnic table.

* * *

><p>A few seconds after taking a seat, Drew heard what sounded like shouting between students, and he realized this scrawny goth looking geek was being bullied. He got up, keeping his phone in his hand so he could possibly document what was going on. "What the...what do you think you're doing?" Drew questioned, giving a hateful look to the auburn haired guy with freckles while an olive-skinned brunette stood by laughing in amusement.<p>

"Mind your own, faggot!" the guy exclaimed, Drew tensed up and put his phone in his pocket then lunged at the guy. Pulling him off of the smaller guy to punch him as hard as he could.

"Cut it out!" The brunette shouted, the other male remained silent as he stood there. A few more punches in, the bully grabbed Drew's phone and looked at it, seeing the camera was on.

"Didn't realize you'd be this stupid, bro." The bully commented then smashed Drew's cellphone down as hard as he could on the ground, stomping on it, before turning to walk off with a laugh. "Stay the hell outta my way, got it?" The guy added, Drew was enraged but silent.

Once he walked away, Drew turned to the smaller guy as he picked up Drew's cellphone. "I think it's dead?" the raven haired young man replied, Drew sighed and shrugged.

"Wanna sit with me for a minute?" Drew offered, the other guy nodded his head. "Who are you, anyway?" he added and the other guy laughed.

"A nobody, really." The emerald eyed male stated.

"Seriously." Drew retorted.

"Eli Goldsworthy. Why do you care?" Eli stated simply, his tone sounding slightly bewildered.

"I..don't know? It would be nice to have a friend here since I'm new." Drew commented, looking down at his now broken phone. Eli wasn't sure how to take that but it made him feel good that someone wanted something to do with him.

"What's your name?" Eli asked.

"Drew Torres." Drew responded.

"As long as this isn't some stupid ass jock joke - we'll hang out this weekend if you feel like it." Eli began. "Look me up on Facerange and we'll arrange our plans." Eli added, Drew smiled, locking eyes with the emerald eyed boy. Eli gasped under his breath; he was taken aback by how gorgeous Drew's eyes were.

Once Audra's van pulled up, Drew got up and began to leave only to be called back by Eli. "One last thing; you have pretty eyes." Eli complimented, Drew smiled sweetly then walked off to go get in his step-mom's car all while wondering why his heart was fluttering. He couldn't have feelings for Eli forming, could he?  
>Of course he was straight, right? Right.<p>

At least that's what he told himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is incredibly short because it's leading up to something kind of big. Something that was not shown on the show or covered at all but was rumored about Drew. Anyway... happy reading!**

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><p>The whole ride back to his house, Drew felt like he was in a fog because of what had happened. He was amazed that he wasn't caught for defending Eli and he was even more amazed by what Eli was making him feel. It was the same feeling he got when he met a girl he liked for the first time - and that scared the hell out of him. "So, did either of you meet anyone new at school today? Make any new friends?" Audra asked curiously; smiling as she tried to continue focusing on the road ahead.<p>

"Yeah, a girl named Clare Edwards. She's in a few of my classes and she's really nice! She actually wants to hang out with me," Adam explained, gaining an immediate sigh from his mother.

"What made you believe that would be a good idea?" Audra questioned her son; she couldn't believe he actually was trying to invite a girl over after what happened at his old school. "What will happen when she tells the whole school your secret?" Audra added, it was typical of her to act in such a way since she had always been a total pessimist. She then turned the conversation to her step-son, Drew, and immediately noticed his bruised knuckles. "Okay, what the hell happened this time, Andrew?" She asked, realizing he had been in a fight.

"This...guy was getting beaten up. I stepped in and stopped the bully because he was really hurting him," Drew responded quietly with a shrug of his shoulders. "He was really defenseless against this guy. Same guy broke my cellphone so I need a new one, by the way." Drew added, his ocean blue eyes glanced to look at the homes lining the streets of Toronto.

"What made you believe that would be a good idea?" Audra questioned her son; she couldn't believe he actually was trying to invite a girl over after what happened at his old school. "What will happen when she tells the whole school your secret?" Audra added, it was typical of her to act in such a way since she had always been a total pessimist. She then turned the conversation to her step-son, Drew, and immediately noticed his bruised knuckles. "Okay, what the hell happened this time, Andrew?" She asked, realizing he had been in a fight.

"Did you make friends with the guy you helped?" Adam asked, Drew kept his eyes on the buildings passing them by as they rode towards their home.

"I guess so? He, uh, kind of hit on me though after I asked him to hang out this weekend. Not sure I want to do that now." Drew responded.

Adam cackled with laughter. "How did he do that? What did he say?" Adam asked, Drew dramatically rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, tilting his head back on the seat. "Oh this is going to be good." Adam added, biting his lip softly as he waited for the answer.

"He told me I have pretty eyes, alright? Those exact words." Drew replied, his cheeks flushing a deep shade of red. Adam began to laugh the hardest he had in a long time and Audra decided she needed to speak up as they pulled into the driveway.

Audra unbuckled her seatbelt as she put the van in 'park' and sat there for a moment. "How many times have I told you the same words, Andrew?" Audra questioned, turning to look at her eldest son. Now, Drew was feeling much worse about what he had said and the whole ordeal - it had been one huge turn off to him despite how nice Eli seemed to be. "By that same logic, you're saying I'm hitting on you, too. Don't say things like that! You know better." Audra commented, Drew nodded his head but remained quiet.

"Sorry." He replied, grabbing his bag from the backseat as he got out to go inside. Suddenly, the young man wanted to just forget the entire world and move on. Still, he wasn't sure how he was going to handle what was going on with this Eli guy - but something had to be done.


	3. Chapter 3

Once dinner was over and Drew finished his slice of cheesecake for dessert, he made up his mind that he needed to go on a walk, and just be alone in his thoughts. He placed the blue plate in the sink and left a note, saying he was going for a walk. As soon as he made it outside, Drew began to walk to one place he thought he wouldn't visit again for a long time. The walk was a short one, it lasted about ten minutes, and Drew arrived outside of the cemetery where his mother was buried. He pushed open the small black gate and let himself slip through as he walked towards the gravestone.

It took him all of ten seconds to sit down and it was like the flood gates had opened. He missed his mother, a lot, and right now he needed her so much. "Audra is making my life Hell again." He muttered, placing his head against the shining black marble of her headstone. "I wish you were still here. We would be back in Ajax and I wouldn't have to worry about starting my life over because of my step-brother." Drew rambled, the warm tears dripping from his eyes down onto the grave. "Why'd you have to leave me?" Drew whispered, his body shook hard as he cried and held onto the gravestone.

Drew hadn't noticed the fact that Eli was standing several feet from him; holding flowers to leave on a loved one's grave, as well. Eli left Drew alone and walked over to the grave of the person he was visiting. "Time for me to change your flowers again." Eli muttered, he leaned down and took out the roses he had left last time. Eli then placed the arrangement of sunflowers, roses, and lilies he had bought for Julia. "I can't stay tonight since we're not alone but I will come back tomorrow night, I promise." Eli added, he once swore he would never talk to ghosts, spirits, or anything else because he didn't believe in an afterlife. However, it was always different with the person he was visiting.

Once he looked up to see if Drew was gone, Eli and Drew accidentally locked eyes, leading Eli to look away feeling embarrassed. He had overheard everything; even though he was trying desperately to not listen. Drew immediately wiped his eyes as he stood there, wondering who this Eli fella could have lost, and if he was visiting a parent as well. "Visiting a family member, too?" Drew asked curiously, Eli felt his back become stiff as he stood there feeling defensive.

"None of your business." Eli responded bitterly but Drew wasn't having it.

"I'm pretty sure you just heard me sobbing to my mother about you. So, since you heard that, I think you owe me something? Who are you visiting?" Drew retorted, furrowing his brow.

Eli felt his temper flaring but he decided to play it cool. Drew was a total jock and could take him out with one hard punch, if needed. "- I'm visiting my ex-girlfriend; her name is Julia. She died last spring." Eli replied quietly, he hated saying those words which was what made him feel so tense inside.

"I was visiting my mother. She died when I was little," Drew began as he thought back to that tragic day, "she was the best and would still be here but she got cancer." Drew commented, his voice cracked slightly as he spoke, feeling his eyes fill again with tears. "Lasted about two months and she was gone - felt like she was gone in the blink of an eye and now I may never see her again."

Eli knew how it felt to lose someone so quickly and to feel the way that Drew was feeling. "Julia and I got into a fight and she was hit by a car after leaving my house." Eli admitted. "She was found by my dad; he took her straight to the hospital but she was pronounced dead on arrival." Eli added, exhaling a shaky sigh as he stood there. He didn't understand why Drew made him feel so comfortable but he seemed to understand. Drew just felt like someone Eli could let his guard down around and that truly scared him.

"Want me to walk you home?" Drew asked, hoping a nice walk with Eli would help him understand the other young man a little better. Eli smirked and nodded, finally he allowed himself to relax and the two turned to leave the graveyard. "Another question - you're not gay, right? Or are you?" Drew added as they began to walk and Eli chuckled quietly.

"I don't like to label myself." Eli commented, he had been taught that love was love no matter whom it was with. Eli had never had a boyfriend before, however, just Julia. "Julia was the first person I was ever with though and damn did I love her." Eli confessed, Drew never really had a chance to get a girlfriend - up until that year, his parents were too strict about him seeing anyone.

Drew only wished he had someone to call his for a while. Though, like at his last school, he was sure that the girls surrounding him would want to be with other people. He didn't exactly fit in there like he had seemed to at Degrassi. People seemed to be taking a liking to him but the only person he clicked with was Eli.

"Surprised you haven't asked me about what you heard me saying back there!" Drew exclaimed, Eli was actually wanting to avoid that since it was personal.

"You're confused because of my comment, right?" Eli asked, smirking. Drew nodded his head but remained quiet. "Look, if you want me to give you space or something and not talk to you - I will. I don't want to confuse you if it will cause problems at home." Eli added, however, Drew wasn't agreeing with that at all.

"No, I want you around. I like talking to you; I think we click really well but I've never liked a guy before and I could see myself falling for you," Drew replied, Eli raised his eyebrows at the comment that was just made. Did a good looking guy like Drew really just say he could fall for a guy like Eli?

"Well, we have two options - we can remain friends and see where things go or never speak again once I get home. It's your call, Drew." Eli stated, leaving Drew with the choice to make but inside - Eli had hoped he would choose to stay friends.

"I want to be friends, yeah." Drew finally replied after a moment of silence; throwing all caution to the wind as he spoke.

* * *

><p>Back home, Adam was online when Clare popped up in an instant message. "Hey, Adam! What are you up to?" Clare asked, Adam beamed when she messaged him and he sat his plate of dessert down beside his laptop to respond. "You still want to hang out with me this weekend, right?" She added before he could begin typing.<p>

"Yeah! It will be awesome. Any ideas of what we should do?" Adam replied, though he had thought of just having a movie marathon with her. Maybe playing video games and ordering take out.

"...Well judging by the movies you like I say we have a movie night!" Clare replied, making the decision for them and Adam grinned. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he laid there thinking about this girl. "Skype? I need to finish cleaning my room." Clare continued.

Adam immediately sent the request as he leaned against the headboard of his bed. He waited for the call to go through and that was when it dawned on him - he needed to tell Clare his secret. At least, before either of them got too interested. Once she answered the Skype call, Adam swallowed a bite of cheesecake as he thought of what to say. "I need to tell you something about me but - I beg you not to tell anyone. Especially the others at school." Adam stated, Clare nodded.

"Go ahead." She replied.

"I...am transgender. Normally I wouldn't tell people I just met, at least not right away, but you kind of need to know this sort of thing. I'm hoping you'll stick around for a long time, you know?" Adam commented. Clare sighed softly then smiled a sweet, genuine smile back at the young man.

"I overheard Simpson talking to your mom when you left the office. I was in there copying something for a class. It's okay by me, I've looked into it because I was curious and really it's no big deal - you're a guy to me." Clare replied sweetly, after having read several articles about being transgender and what Adam was going through, she liked Adam even more. He was a very unique guy and honestly the most lovable person she had met in awhile. "Why? Did you think you'd scare me away?" Clare added playfully and Adam blushed while smiling.

"Maybe I did. It's happened before!" Adam commented.

"Well, I promise, it's not going to happen. I'm not going anywhere - you're too cool of a guy to let slip away. So, I'm sticking around until you decide you want to get rid of me!"


End file.
